Air powered grooming machine for cables and the like



NOV. 11, 1969 J SCHMIDT 3,477,081

AIR POWERED GROOMING MACHINE 1 FOR CABLES AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 18, 1967 i 2 Sheets-Sheet l (y, INVENTOR. '9; I DO Y J. SZH/f/DT Nov. 11, 1969 D. J. SCHMIDT 3,477,081

AIR POWERED GROOMING MACHINE FOR CABLES AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 18, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Int. Cl. A46b 13/00 U.S. Cl. 15--88 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Plural air powered brush assemblies separately mounted on inner wall portions of a two part housing providing an enclosed brushing chamber. Each brush assembly includes a mounting bracket that is angularly adjustably aflixable in position for changing the relationship of the plane of rotation of the brush to a cable or other elongated article movable relatively through the brushing chamber. Each air motor and brush unit is mounted on its bracket for pivotal movement'towards the elongated article. An air cylinder means is connected between the air motor and the bracket for urging the air motor unit towards, and the brush thereof into contact with, the article. Hosing is provided for delivering compressed air from an outside source into one part of the housing. Additional hosing is located in the housing for delivering the air from each part of the housing into the other. Polishing wheels and other types of rotary tools may be used in place of the brushes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to various types of air powered machines for grooming elongated articles. It particularly relates to air powered brushing machines adapted for heavy duty cleaning of cables, pipe, poles, and other types of elongated articles. The machines of this invention are also usable for light brushing, polishing, abraiding, or burnishing of elongated articles.

Description of the prior art Bly U.S. Patent No. 1,647,499 and Stevenson U.S. Patent No. 3,274,633 relate to air powered brushing machines especially adapted for cleaning pipes and cables, respectively. Each of these machines comprises a plurality of air powered brush assemblies mounted on a free-form or skeleton type frame providing no cover for the brushes to prevent wide area scattering of the particles brushed loose from the pipe or cable. Such scattering of dirty particulate matter creates undesirable working conditions for the personnel operating and/ or working near the machine. Their skin and clothing becomes impregnated with the dirty particles and it becomes necessary to wear some sort of eye covering to prevent eye injury. Also, the elongated article to be cleaned is frequently located adjacent painted or other types of surfaces which the scattered particles would damage, or at least make necessary a thorough cleaning of the surrounding area.

Nichols et al. U.S. Patent No. 1,962,404; Borden U.S. Patent No. 2,910,043 and Dunham U.S. Patent No. 2,960,706 disclose elongated article grooming machines comprising a housing or enclosure for a brush or other grooming tool. However, none of the machines disclosed by these patents includes air powered rotary tool assemblies which must be supported in a particular position relative to the article being cleaned, with the rotary tools thereof in yieldable contact with the elongated article, in combination with means for biasing such assemblies towards, and the rotary tools thereof into contact with, the elongated article.

Stevenson U.S. Patent No. 3,116,811 is another example of a known grooming machine comprising a casing or housing for enclosing non-powered grooming tools.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The air powered elongated article grooming machine of this invention embodies some of the basic features of, but at the same time is an improvement on, the machine covered by the aforementioned Stevenson U.S. .Patent No. 3,274,633.

Basically, the grooming machine of the present invention comprises a housing which both provides an enclosed grooming chamber in which the air powered grooming tools are located, and through which the elongated article travels, and serves as a main frame on which the powered grooming tools and the other components of the machine are mounted.

According to the invention, each rotary tool assembly comprises its own mounting bracket which is secured to an inside wall portion of the housing independently of any other rotary tool assembly. Preferably, the mounting bracket comprises a base and a bifurcated standard projecting inwardly of the housing from one end of the base. The end portion of the air motor distal the rotary tool is pivotally mounted between the forks of the standard. An air cylinder assembly is interconnected between the end of the motor near the tool and the corresponding end of the base. The base is secured to a side wall portion of the housing at a position placing the periphery of the rotary tool into contact with the elongated article to be groomed. Air is supplied to the air cylinder means to swing the air motor unit towards, and in that manner urge said tool into contact with, the elongated article.

Each rotary tool assembly may be adjustably mounted on its wall portion of the housing in a manner making it possible to change the attitude of the plane of rotation of the tool relative to the elongated article. This capability is especially desirable in a cable brushing machine so that the brushes can be set to substantially follow the warps of the particular cable being brushed. It may be provided by mounting the tool end of the bracket base on to the housing for pivotal movement about an axis extending substantially transversely across the elongated article and in the general plane of the rotary tool, and then securing the opposite end of the base to the housing once the tool has been properly oriented.

In a preferred form of the invention the housing comprises four side walls and two end walls. It is diagonally divided across such end walls into two parts, each of which includes a pair of substantially right angle connected side walls and a pair of triangular end wall portions. Preferably the housing parts are of cast construction and are identical, so that only a single mold is needed. Four rotary tool assemblies are provided and each of the four side walls of the housing includes a mounting station for one of them. The spacing and arrangement of the tool assemblies are such that each rotary tool is paired laterally across the elongated article with the rotary tool of the assembly mounted on the opposite side wall, so that the inward pressure of each tool against the elongated article is directly opposed by the inward pressure of a like tool on the opposite side of the article.

As another feature of the invention, compressed air is supplied to the tool assemblies by means of a hose leading from a source remote from the housing to a point of entry into one of the housing parts. The supply hose is connected to a manifold or flow divider located in such housing part, which includes an outlet for each air motor, and an additional outlet for serving all of the air cylinder means. A branch conduit leads from each air motor outlet to a related one of the air motors. At least the branch conduits which deliver air to the air motors located in the second part of the housing are in the form of flexible hoses. An additional flexible conduit extends from the outlet port for the air cylinder means over to first a variable orifice pressure valve and from there to a second manifold, both located in the second part of the housing. The second manifold or flow divider comprises one outlet for each air cylinder means. A branch conduit extends from each such outlet to a related one of the air cylinder means. At least the branch conduits which extend back into the first part of the housing, to the air cylinder means of the tool assemblies housed therein, are in the nature of flexible hoses. The use of flexible conduits for those portions of the air system transcending from one housing part to the other permits easy assembly and disassembly of the housing about the elongated article.

These and other inherent objects, features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of typical and therefore non-limitive embodiments of the invention, as described below in conjunction with the accompanying illustrations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing like element designations refer to like parts, and:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the invention, showing the two part housing thereof open and spaced from one another, and the several tool assemblies in spaced relation to their respective positions within the housing parts;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view involving all four of the tool assemblies, and showing the air distribution system;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view looking into one of the housing parts, taken generally along the aspect line 3-3 of FIG. 4, with portions of the air distribution systern omitted for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view, taken substantially along line 4 -4 of FIG. 3, with a substantial portion of the top of the housing broken away to show the arrangement of the tool assemblies within the housing, and with portions of the fluid distribution system omitted for clarity of illustration of such assemblies; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of one of the tool assemblies.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The illustrated embodiment of the invention is an air powered brushing machine especially adapted for heavyduty cleaning of cables. It is shown as comprising a housing or casing which also serves as a support frame for the other major components of the machine. Housing 10 is shown to be longitudinally divided into two parts 12, 12'.

Preferably, the housing parts 12, 12' are of cast construction and are identical so that only a single mold is needed for making the entire housing 10. Each part 12, 12' may comprise a pair of substantially right angle connected side walls 14, 16 and a pair of triangular end wall sections 18, 20. A semicircular recess is formed at the center of the diagonal edge of each end wall section 18, 20 to receive one half 22 of a split form guide.

Knuckle hinge elements 24 may be provided along one set of corresponding longitudinal edges 26, 28 to form with an elongated pin (not shown) a hinge for pivotally connecting the two housing parts 12, 12' together. Complementary components of a suitable type of snap fastener may be provided adjacent the second set of corresponding longitudinal edges 26, 28 to serve as a means for securing the two housing parts 12, 12 together about the elongated article.

The guides formed at each-end wall by the inserts 22 are in the nature of a collar and includes a central passageway sized to be only slightly larger than the diameter of the elongated article. Several sets of the guide inserts 22, differing only in the size of the guide passageway, may be provided with the machine, so that such machine can be readily adapted to a given diameter article by merely substituting in the proper size of guide inserts 22. The guide inserts 22 may be removably secured in place by bolts 23.

A mounting station or pedestal 30 for a rotary tool assembly, hereinafter to be described in detail, is formed on the inner face of each side wall 14, 16. The mounting stations 30 may be in the nature of shallow bosses machined to present substantially flat mounting surfaces. Each side wall 16 is also formed to include an inwardly protruding valve well 32 having an opening 34 in a wall portion thereof.

Each rotary tool assembly 36 includes a mounting bracket 38 comprising a base 40 and a bifurcated standard 42. The base 40 has a flat mounting surface which lies flat against the flat mounting surface of its mounting station 30. The side walls 14, 16, their mounting surfaces 30, and the bases 40 of the brackets 38 are all situated in planes which are in parallelism with the elongated article, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to be in the form of a cable or wire rope C.

Each bifurcated standard 42 projects inwardly of the housing from one end of its base Y40 and includes a pair of laterally spaced tines 44.

The rear portion of an elongated cylindrical body of an air motor 46 is received in the space between the tines 44. The air motor 46 is pivotally mounted on the standard 42 by pivot pin means 48 extending through axially aligned openings formed in the tines 44. A plurality of such openings may be provided, each spaced a different distance away from the base 40, so that the spacing of the pivotal axis from the base 40 can be changed. The air motor 46 includes an elongated output shaft projecting outwardly from the end thereof distal the standard 42. A bristle brush or other rotary tool T is secured to said output shaft and is rotated thereby. As best shown by FIG. 4, the standards 42, the air motors 46 and the pivot pin means 48 support the rotary tools for swinging movement along an are which intersects the longitudinal center of the elongated article C.

Each rotary tool assembly further includes an air cylinder unit 50 interconnected between the tool end of the air motor 46 and the end portion of the base 40 distal the mounting bracket 42. The air cylinder units serve to positively urge the air motor and rotary tool unit towards, and maintain the rotary tool T in contact with, the elongated article C.

The air cylinder units 50 may comprise a pistoncylinder assembly 52 having means for detachably mounting the cylinder portion onto the base 40 and an apertured head 54 on the piston. The piston may be attached to the motor 46 by means of a mounting member having a collar portion 56 which surroundingly engages the motor housing closely adjacent the output shaft, and a winged opposite end portion 58 having apertured side walls positionable outwardly on opposite sides of the apertured piston head 54. Preferably, the side walls are provided with plural sets of apertures selectively usable with the aperture in the piston head 54, to provide for adjustment of the effective length of the mounting member.

Preferably, the mounting brackets 38 are adapted to be angularly adjustably aflixable in position on their mounting stations 30, so that the relationship of the plane of rotation of the tool T to the elongated article C can be changed. In the preferred embodiment this capability is provided by using a pivot pin 60 for securing the rotary tool end of the mounting base 40 to the mounting station 30, for pivotal movement about the axis X of such pin 60. The axis X extends transversely across the elongated article and substantially intersects the longitudinal axis of such article C. Owing to this arrangement, the rotary tool T is always in contact with the elongated article C regardless of the position of the base 40 on its mounting station 30.

Prior to use of the machine, the mounting brackets 38 are swung one way or the other about the pivot pins 60 to place the rotary tools T in the desired attitude. Then the bases 40 are secured to the side wall of the housing at a second point spaced away from the pivot pin 60, to prevent further and unwanted movement of the mounting brackets 38, and the rotary tool assemblies 36 carried thereby, during machine use.

In the preferred embodiment a pair of coarcuate elongated slots 62 are formed in the side walls 14, 16 at the ends of the mounting stations 30 opposite the pivot pin opening 64. An alternative to the elongated slots would be to space a plurality of openings apart along the same arc on which the slots 62 lie. Bolt receiving openings 66 are formed through side portions of the base 40 at locations which always traverse the slots 62. .Machine bolts 68 or the like are inserted through the base openings '66 and then the side wall slots 62, and when tightened serve to clamp the bases 40 in position on these mounting stations 30.

The feature of making the plane of rotation of the rotary tool T adjustable relative to the axis of the elongated article C is of particular importance in machines for cleaning cable, because it makes it possible to adjust the position of the brushes so that they may follow the warp of the cable, i.e., the lay of the strands making up the cable.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic or schematic presentation of the machine in which the housing parts 12, 12' are shown as broken line boundaries and the valve wells 32 are shown as smaller broken line blocks.

An air supply line 70 brings compressed air from an air compressor (not shown) to a variable orifice valve 72 mounted on housing part 12', with the handle 74 thereof in the valve Well 32. The outlet of valve 72 is connected by a conduit 78 to the inlet of a manifold or flow divider 76 housed within the housing part 12'. The air manifold 76 is formed to include take-off ports for branch conduits 80, 82, 84, 86, respectively, each leading to one of the air motors 46.

Air manifold 36 also includes a take-off port for a branch conduit 88 leading to the inlet of a variable orifice pressure regulator 90 mounted over in the housing part 12. As in the case of valve 72, the handle 100 of valve 98 is located in the recess 32. The outlet of valve 90 is located inside of housing part 12, and a short conduit 94 connects it to the inlet of a second manifold or flow divider 96. Four take-off ports are formed in the manifold 96 for branch conduits 98, 100, 102, 104, respectively, each leading to the cylinder chamber of one of the piston-cylinder units 52.

As shown by FIGS. 1 and 2, the branch conduits 80, 82, 88, 98 and 100 each extend from a connection inside one of the housing parts 12, 12' over to a connection inside the other housing part 12, 12'. Since the housing parts 12, 12' are hinged connected together and must be swung relatively together or apart during assembly and disassembly thereof onto or off from an elongated article C, according to the invention at least these conduits are in the nature of flexible hoses so that they will readily bend and permit the necessary manipulation of the housing parts 12, 12'.

FIG. 3 shows the manner in which valve 72 is mounted. Both its inlet and outlet ports are located inside housing part 12' and the regulating handle 94 is located within the well 32. Pressure regulator valve is mounted on the other housing part 12 in this same manner. FIG. 4 shows the relative location of each pivot pin axis X, and shows that the axes X all pass transversely through the elongated article C. Also in FIG. 4, the lower guide inserts 22, and the annular guide formed thereby, are shown in phantom surrounding the elongated article C,.

The relative spacing of the four tool assemblies is such that each rotary tool T is paired laterally across the elongated article C with another one of the rotary tools T. By'this arrangement, the inward pressure of each tool T against the elongated article C is directly opposed by the inward pressure of a like tool T on the opposite side of the article C.

Louver type outlet parts (not shown) may be provided in the side walls 14, 16 for permitting release of the compressed air exhausted from the housing 10. The debris is collected on the side walls for easy removal after the machine is separated from the elongated article.

At least one hauling eye (not shown) may be secured to an end of the housing, to which can be tied a hauling lanyard (not shown) by means of which the machine can be moved along the elongated article being groomed. Alternatively, the machine may be stand mounted, in a horizontal position, for example, and advantageously used in that manner, with the elongated article to be groomed being moved relatively through it. This type of operation is particularly suitable for use by salvage companies which collect used cables, for example, and bring them to their yards for reconditioning prior to resale.

What is claimed is:

1. An air powered grooming machine comprising:

a combination housing and support frame providing an enclosed grooming chamber and including end walls having'aligned openings therein for receiving an elongated article movable relatively through said chamber, and side wall means interconnecting said end walls;

at least one rotary tool assembly inside said housing, comprising a mounting bracket secured to an inside portion of said housing, said mounting bracket including a base portion connected to said side wall means, a rotary air motor including an output shaft, a rotary tool on said shaft, means mounting said air motor on said bracket for pivotal movement of it and the tool towards the elongated article, and an air cylinder means located outwardly of said air motor, said cylinder means being connected between said air motor and said base portion, for urging said air motor inwardly towards, and said tool into contact with, said elongated article;

a source of compressed air remote from said housing;

and

conduit means for delivering compressed air from said source into said housing, and once inside said housing to both said air motor, for rotating said tool, and

' to said air cylinder means, for urging said tool into contact with the elongated article.

2. A grooming machine according to claim 1, comprising at least one additional rotary tool assembly in said housing, of like character as the one described, wherein said housing is of two part construction and the parts are securable together about the elongated article, the first described tool assembly is secured to the side wall means of one part of said housing, and the additional tool assembly is secured to the side wall means of the second part of the housing.

3. An air powered grooming machine comprising:

a housing providing an enclosed grooming chamber and including end walls having aligned openings therein for receiving an elongated article movable relatively through said chamber, and side wall means interconnecting said end walls, said housing being of two part construction and the parts are securable together about the elongated article;

at least one rotary tool assembly inside said housing, comprising a mounting bracket secured to an inside portion of said housing, a rotary air motor including an output shaft, a rotary tool on said shaft, means mounting said air motor on said bracket for pivotal movement of it and the tool towards the elongated article, and an air cylinder means connected between said air motor and said bracket, for urging said air motor towards, and said tool into contact with, said elongated article;

at least one additional rotary tool assembly in said housing, of like character as the one described, with the first described tool assembly being secured to the side wall means of one part of said housing, and the additional tool assembly being secured to the side wall means of the second part of the housing;

a source of compressed air remote from said housing;

and

conduit means for delivering compressed air from said source into said housing, and once inside said housing to both said air motor, for rotating said tool, and to said air cylinder means, for urging said tool into contact with the elongated article, said conduit means entering the housing through a wall of one of said parts and including manifold means in such part dividing flow into a path for each motor and a path to the air cylinder means, and said conduit means including flexible branch conduit means leading from one path of said manifold means into the second part of the housing, to the air motor of the said tool assembly therein.

4. A grooming machine according to claim 3, including flexible branch conduit means leading from the air cylinder means path of the manifold into the said second part to a variable orifice control valve therein, and branch conduit means leading from said control valve to each air cylinder means, including flexible branch conduit means leading back to the air cylinder means in the housing part containing said manifold means.

5. An air powered grooming machine comprising:

a housing providing an enclosed grooming chamber and including end walls having aligned openings therein for receiving an elongated article movable relatively through said chamber, and side wall means interconnecting said end walls, said housing being of two part construction and the parts are securable together about the elongated article;

at least one rotary tool assembly inside said housing, comprising a mounting bracket secured to an inside portion of said housing, a rotary air motor including an output shaft, a rotary tool on said shaft, means mounting said air motor on said bracket for pivotal movement of it and the tool towards the elongated article, and an air cylinder means connected between said air motor and said bracket, for urging said air motor towards, and said tool into contact with, said elongated article;

at least one additional rotary tool assembly in said housing, of like character as the one described, with the first described tool assembly being secured to the side wall means of one part of said housing, and the additional tool assembly being secured to the side wall means of the second part of the housing, and said rotary tools of the tool assemblies being paired with each other laterally across said elongated article so that the inward pressure of each tool against the elongated article is directly opposed by the inward pressure of a like tool on the opposite side of such article.

6. An air powered grooming machine comprising:

a housing providing an enclosed grooming chamber and including end walls having aligned openings therein for receiving an elongated article movable relatively through said chamber, and side wall means interconnecting said end walls, said side wall means comprising four side Walls and said housing being diagonally divided across the end walls into two parts, each including a pair of substantially right angle connected side walls;

a rotary tool assembly mounted on the inside of each said side wall, each said tool assembly comprising a mounting bracket secured to an inside portion of said housing, a rotary air motor including an output shaft, a rotary tool on said shaft, means mounting said air motor on said bracket for pivotal movement of it and the tool towards the elongated article, and an air cylinder means connected between said air motor and said bracket, for urging said air motor towards, and said tool into contact with, said elongated article;

a source of compressed air remote from said housing;

and

conduit means for delivering compressed air from said source into said housing, and once inside said housing to both said air motor, for rotating said tool, and to said air cylinder means, for urging said tool into contact with the elongated article.

7. A grooming machine according to claim 6, wherein the rotary tools of the four tool assemblies are paired laterally across the elongated article so that the inward pressure of each tool against the elongated article is directly opposed by the inward pressure of a like tool on the opposite side of such article.

'8. An air powered grooming machine comprising:

a housing providing an enclosed grooming chamber and including end walls having aligned openings therein for receiving an elongated article movable relatively through said chamber, and side wall means interconnecting said end walls;

at least one rotary tool assembly inside said housing, comprising a mounting bracket secured to an inside portion of said housing, a rotary air motor including an output shaft, a rotary tool on said shaft, means mounting said air motor on said bracket for pivotal movement of it and the tool towards the elongated article, and an air cylinder means connected between said air motor and said bracket, for urging said air motor towards, and said tool into contact with, said elongated article, with said side wall means of said housing including a portion in a plane that is generally parallel to said elongated article, and said mounting bracket including a base and means for angularly adjustably affixing said base to said portion, for changing the relationship of the plane of rotation of the tool to the elongated article.

9. A grooming machine according to claim 8, wherein said means for angularly adjustably affixing said base comprises a pivot pin means securing said base to said housing wall portion, for pivotal movement about an axis extending substantially transversely across said elongated article, and fastener means for connecting said base to said housing side wall portion at a location spaced from said pivot pin means.

10. An air powered grooming machine comprising:

a housing providing an enclosed grooming chamber and including end walls having aligned openings therein for passing an elongated article movable relatively through said chamber, and side wall means interconnecting said end walls;

four rotary tool assemblies inside said housing, each comprising a mounting bracket independently secured to an inside portion of said housing, a rotary air motor including an output shaft, a rotary tool on said shaft, an means mounting said air motor on said bracket, with its tool in contact with the elongated article, with a first pair of said assemblies .10 being positioned on opposite sides of the elongated conduit means for delivering compressed air from said article, with the tools thereof directly opposite each s ur e in a d housing, and once inside said usother across the elongated article, so that each opto each alr motor, Iotatlng 531d i001- poses the inward force of the other, and with the second pair of said assemblies being similarly re- 5 References Cited lated across the elongated article, but at a location UNITED STATES PATENTS spaced axially along, and circumferentially about, 3 11 311 1 19 4 Stevensom the elongated article from said first pair; 3,274,533 9 9 Stevenson 5 g a source of compressed air remote from said housing;

and 10 EDWARD Lt ROBERTS, Primary Examiner 

